The Artist
Squinting into the face of a turtle involuntarily releases a quiet sense of reverence and admiration: this primeval creature has inhabited our blue planet for over 200 million years, practically unchanged, and has enchanted us humans with its enviable composure and the charm of old age.
A trace of this irresistible fascination forms the basis for the paintings of artist and lateral thinker Coni Altherr. The works are dedicated to these staunch masters of survival in the natural world, and reflect our own dealings with the environment.
Through his art, Coni Altherr touches the pulse of the age. He aims to awaken people’s senses and inspire them to reflect upon the testimony of these animals. He makes use of a very particular figurative language, playing with a simple rhetoric and a powerful choice of colour: bold, modern and exhilarating. The turtle stands more for an assertion than for reality as far as this artist is concerned. He weaves the presumed stability of the animal with the surreal in his work. The viewer is therefore presented with a combination of easy charm and dynamic consternation in the pictures; rather than leading to any unambiguous explanation of the situation, these images provide space for the imagination to roam.
Coni Altherr is married and is the father of two sons.
His alternative ways of looking at things
People like Coni are called innovator. He is visionary and imaginative, has a very good nose for new trends and frequently swims against the tide. In the past, he has created a variety of sporting series and events, such as the World Inline Cup, Swiss Inline Cup, Trend Duathlon, night-time tours of the zoo, a sailing cup, a dog swim event at Lake Zurich, bikejoring races and much more.
His interests in general
Coni has travelled in 100 countries; his great loves are his family, the natural world, animals, sport and art. He is especially attracted to African art, and to the art and culture of China. His first art teacher was the Swiss painter Fritz Strebel from Brittnau.
